I've just started getting back into training again after an 18 month hiatus (started a new job, got married etc) and need to shift some serious weight. Im going to start a new weights programme in the new year but its CV Im having a slight problem with. Before I used to play football (soccer) which took care of it but I am not able to play anymore. Im going to start doing HIT sessions but just wanted to get some quick advice, during the rest period - is it important that you jog or is walking acceptable. Should I slow down the sprinting speed so that I can jog during the rest period or should I go hell for leather and then walk? Also, how long should I do it for and should the sprint/rest times be the same?

tubbs wrote:I've just started getting back into training again after an 18 month hiatus (started a new job, got married etc)

Congrats for your marriage, your job and your decision to get back into exercise. After the first two, most people would rather veg out on a couch.

tubbs wrote: Im going to start a new weights programme in the new year but its CV Im having a slight problem with. Before I used to play football (soccer) which took care of it but I am not able to play anymore.

Why not? Is it because of an injury?

tubbs wrote:Im going to start doing HIT sessions but just wanted to get some quick advice, during the rest period - is it important that you jog or is walking acceptable. Should I slow down the sprinting speed so that I can jog during the rest period or should I go hell for leather and then walk?

First of all, be aware that you are coming back to cardio after an 18 month hiatus. Not only that, you are coming back to a high impact form of cardio. Over the first month or so, you would be wise to curb your enthusiasm until your body gets back to acclimating itself to the pounding that it gets when running/sprinting. Buy a good pair of running shoes, and start off slowly. Don't worry - you'll be back to a high level before you know it, and without aches and pains in the process.

As for sprinting and recovery speeds, all out sprinting followed by brisk walking is closer to the HIIT model. The amount of effort during the work interval is more important than the amount of work during the rest interval.

tubbs wrote:Also, how long should I do it for and should the sprint/rest times be the same?

The more intense the work interval, the longer the rest interval. At a high level, a 30 second sprint can be followed by a one to two minute recovery. The whole session, however, shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.

I used to weigh ~300lbs and I lost the majority of my weight doing HIIT training through swimming.

I would recommend it to anyone who had access to a lap pool.

I would basically swim as hard as I could through the length of the pool, then do a really slow backstroke all the way back down - then repeat.

I recommend this to people who ask for two reasons:

1. As he said, running is high impact - why not remove that with swimming's lack of any impact?

2. Swimming is a full body workout, which to me should be telling my body to hold on to as much muscle as possible while on a caloric restriction - as from what I understand, the more you use a muscle the less likely the body will be to catabolize it.

Supposedly swimming can make your appetite greater, I never noticed that, but be careful.

Swimming makes you hungry because it's low impact and intrinsically cooling as you move (assuming you're swimming in relatively cool water), allowing you to exercise longer and harder than ie jogging, prior to exhaustion/boredom/aggravation.

I think a low carb, higher fat/protein intake would offset any extra hunger issues with doing HIIT swimming. If you are relying on a primarily carbohydrate based diet, then I'd say you might want to worry a bit.